This August 5th was Olivia’s Adoption Day. The day we took hold of her leash and walked her into our home. Her birthday and age is only an educated guess. She was one or two years old when she was picked up as a stray in Round Rock, suburb of Austin, Texas and brought to Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC).  In 2007, TLAC had a three day hold policy, Olivia was given her three days, waiting for an owner to claim her, after that she was scheduled to undergo euthanasia. The first photo I have of our Olivia was taken of her in her cage at the shelter, she was sitting next to a pail of water looking up at  the camera. She was given the required shots, an ID number and a small chance to live.

Lucky for her, the staff thought she was a sweet girl and alerted one of the rescue volunteers. These volunteers have taken on the unenviable task of visiting the dog shelter to look for dogs that they can “pull” and bring into a foster program. Many of the dogs won’t be saved and this is their last chance. Olivia’s road to life started with Coonhound Companions member Jerry Dunham. Coonhounds are one of the many breeds that he helps save.

He knows his hounds and was surprised that he had missed her on his recent visit, but when he approached her cage he could see why. She was curled up in a tight ball at the back of cage. He said “she looked liked she had given up”. To this day, when Olivia feels stressed, I find her in her bed, curled so tight that I can’t lift her paw. We call it her “coonhound lockdown” time.

Many phone calls and juggling of schedules later he found a foster home for her. He was allowed to pull her under the auspices of The Texas Alaskan Malamute Rescue. Our little underweight, scared black and tan coonhound went to Lynn, who fosters Mals but found room in her busy life and home for Olivia.

I later found out that the very pink slippers that can be seen on Olivia’s Pet Finder page were Lynn’s.

Olivia went from a being a hungry, injured stray, surviving on the streets by herself to being given a second chance and what may have been her very first name ever, “Scout”.

She was put up for adoption on Pet Finder and the American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue’s site, I first saw her picture there.

Lynn was the first to notice that Olivia was showing signs of being very sick and alerted Jerry. He contacted a local vet that would do pro-bono work of rescue dogs to see if she would take a look at Olivia. “Scout's” survival was in question.  She came out of the shelter with a nasty kennel cough that quickly turned into double pneumonia.  It was touch and go for several days, but she pulled through and we are grateful to vets like Dr. Culp that donate their time to rescue dogs.

Before adopting Olivia I wanted to know more about her. My dogs had always been six to eight weeks old when I got them and I wanted to know what I could expect with a full grown dog. Jerry answered every question I emailed him and if he didn’t know, he put me in contact with someone that did. This was my first experience adopting a dog and I had some trepidation, but I had made the decision to “walk the talk” and adopt a dog from a shelter. The commitment and support of these rescue workers sharing their stories about coonhound behavior, and what I could expect when I brought her into our home sealed the deal for us. I said yes. We’ll take her!

Foster mom Lynn, says good bye to a now healthy Scott!

My current work with Coonhound Companions is my way of “paying it forward” - repaying the support and help I received, and continue to receive, for my Olivia from the dog rescue community. Many coonhound owners have begun to share their coonhound stories on our Coonhound Companions Facebook Page, and follow our Long Ears Blog on our CoonhoundCompanions.com website.

 Anyone can help save a life by simply going to www.coonhoundcompanions.com, click on Poster & More and download the free PDF’s of posters and promotion kits. Pass the link onto a friend, your local shelter or rescue group. Every “like”, comment, and download is helping save a coonhound life and better the understanding of this oft-misunderstood breed.

The life I helped save was Olivia’s. On August 5, 2006 my husband and I met the transport driver Norm, in our local park. We signed some paper work and took her leash from him.  My life changed immediately. I was once considered the consummate dog person, but I soon discovered that I knew little about how to handle this neglected, fearful canine.

Olivia: “The Cautious Canine”.

What’s going to be title of Olivia’s Story, part two?  “She Exhausts Me.”

CoonhoundCompanions.com is releasing a new poster, "Long Ears = Social Networking." The poster is available on our Posters & More page (above). The public should feel free to print out copies of the new and older posters and put them up wherever coonhounds may be awaiting adoption, or wherever else hounds' sterling qualities as pets could use some favorable publicity.

These days, when impromptu social gatherings are so easily fostered by electronic networking, a dog that plays well with others is especially desirable. Coonhounds and foxhounds fit the bill admirably. No breed is better at getting along with strangers, whether human, canine or other species.

Hounds do unusually well at dog parks and other places where various dog breeds gather together. Mine are incredibly popular with other dogs on the sidewalks of Brooklyn, NY. Their loud invitations to play may put off some other breeds, but don't provoke fights. Unlike some other breeds, they are rarely confrontational. In general, coonhounds and foxhounds are curious and playful, although they may prefer sniffing out the perimeters to playing fetch with retrievers. It’s in their breeding: hunting hounds are turned out to hunt with unfamiliar hounds, and must get along even in competition. Their personalities are bred to vary from mellow to gregarious. Disagreeable hounds don't get bred.

While coonhounds and foxhounds have a significant prey drive--they are bred to hunt, after all--that prey drive can be guided to focus on a single prey species or get diverted to another task, like tracking. Unlike herding dogs, hounds are not inclined to harass farm animals. On first encounter, most hounds express cautious curiosity about other species.
Coonhounds and foxhounds are readily trained to ignore livestock, deer and possum; hunt alongside and amicably together with horses, mules, and visiting dogs; and to accept other household pets. Think of how many foxhounds may be gathered into a single pack surrounded by horses.

Because raccoon and fox hunting is done in rural settings, where the hounds may encounter cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and who knows what else, they are taught to focus their attention on the sought after prey--fox, coyote, raccoon, bobcat, bear or mountain lion--depending on location and the desires of their hunter-handlers. Training will refocus the attention of most hounds away from undesirable game (that pair of lovebirds or hamsters in the cage).

However, new hound adopters should take special care while introducing them to the family cat. Many hounds will chase cats until taught not to. (So will most other breeds of dog.) Running, outdoor cats pose more of a challenge than indoor cats. Any cat owner thinking of adopting a hound should ask about their prospective adoptee's history with cats. But as the picture on the poster shows, many hounds learn to get along brilliantly with their family's cat. Even better, hound rescues check out the personalities of the hounds they foster, so those few hounds that are inveterate chicken-killers or cat hunters, won't end up at egg farms or in homes with beloved kitties.

And while hounds can be large dogs, they instinctively know how to moderate how energetically they play with smaller, more delicate dogs, pups, and humans, but also willingly play rowdily with their more vigorous acquaintances. Boxer or papillion, a hound will enjoy a canine playmate and a child (or forever young adult) to wrestle with.

Long-eared dogs are extremely affectionate with their humans, their guests, relatives, and children. Please check out "Long Ears = Social Networking" as well as our earlier posters, "Long Ears & You = Soulmates," "Long Ears = Lotsa Cute," "Long Ears = Lotsa Fun," and "Long Ears = Lotsa Talent."

By Emily Plishner